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Canada royal tour making of us - Duke of Cambridge | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
The Duke of Cambridge has suggested the royal tour of Canada has been the making of him and his new wife. | |
On the final stop of their nine-day trip in Calgary, the duke said the visit "far surpassed" expectations. | |
The duke spoke at the world-famous Calgary Stampede rodeo festival which the royal couple will launch later. | |
Earlier, the duke and duchess were given traditional "10 gallon" cowboy hats and the duchess had earlier met a six-year-old girl with cancer. | |
'Beautiful country' | |
The duke and duchess joined Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at a reception on the eve of the Calgary Stampede appropriately dressed in cowboy shirts, boots and jeans. | |
The royal couple arrived riding on top of a stagecoach through cheering crowds. | |
William wore a blue and green checked shirt and Catherine a white blouse with a pattern over the shoulders by Alice Temperley. | |
The duke told guests: "In 1939, my great grandmother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, said of her first tour of Canada with her husband, King George VI, 'Canada made us'. | |
"Catherine and I now know very well what she meant. Canada has far surpassed all that we were promised. Our promise to Canada is that we shall return." | "Catherine and I now know very well what she meant. Canada has far surpassed all that we were promised. Our promise to Canada is that we shall return." |
He continued: "I can only say that the experience of this past seven days has exceeded all our expectations. | He continued: "I can only say that the experience of this past seven days has exceeded all our expectations. |
"We have been hugely struck by the diversity of this beautiful country - from Ottawa to Quebec, from Prince Edward Island to the Northwest Territories, and now the excitement of Calgary." | "We have been hugely struck by the diversity of this beautiful country - from Ottawa to Quebec, from Prince Edward Island to the Northwest Territories, and now the excitement of Calgary." |
Hat ceremony | |
Mr Harper praised the royal couple, telling them: "Your visit has helped introduce a whole new generation of Canadians to the important role of the Crown in the history and governance of our great country. | Mr Harper praised the royal couple, telling them: "Your visit has helped introduce a whole new generation of Canadians to the important role of the Crown in the history and governance of our great country. |
"Exactly 60 years ago, Canadians were similarly enchanted and enthralled when then Princess Elizabeth embarked upon her first tour of this country." | "Exactly 60 years ago, Canadians were similarly enchanted and enthralled when then Princess Elizabeth embarked upon her first tour of this country." |
The custom-made white Smithbilt cowboy hats presented to the royal couple in a ceremony known as "white-hatting" are symbolic of the city, which built its wealth from cattle. | |
On previous royal visits William's father the Prince of Wales and grandfather the Duke of Edinburgh have been presented with the hats. | |
Six-year-old Diamond Marshall, who has cancer, was at Calgary International Airport with her father Lyall, 37, and stepmother Danielle, 32. | |
Lyall wrote to the Children's Wish Foundation of Canada to try to make her dream of meeting a "princess" come true - which happened with the help of the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta. | |
The duchess, wearing a primrose silk crepe dress by Jenny Packham, crouched down to chat to Diamond. | |
"She looks as fancy as she does on TV," was the young girl's verdict after meeting the duchess. | |
Before arriving in Calgary, the duke and duchess took a 24-hour break from their schedule to stay in a remote log cabin in the Canadian Rockies. | Before arriving in Calgary, the duke and duchess took a 24-hour break from their schedule to stay in a remote log cabin in the Canadian Rockies. |
They made an unscheduled stop to visit Slave Lake, Alberta, where more than a third of the town was burned by a wildfire on 15 May, which led to the evacuation of Slave Lake's 7,000 residents. | |
The royal couple had a private meeting with some of the families who were affected. | The royal couple had a private meeting with some of the families who were affected. |
The duke and duchess will leave Canada for the United States on Friday. | |